Is is a compliment or an insult for Catholicism to be called a sinner's Church?

 

 

 

Catholicism down through the centuries has at times been called “the sinners Church.”  Now I ask you thoughtfully:  is this a compliment or an insult to be called a sinners Church?

Certainly, we all know too well that there is much sinfulness in our world. The war in the Middle East with Hamas, the Palestinians, and the Israelis, the war in Ukraine, the violence too often seen in the streets of our cities, even in the halls of Congress there is much too much polarization among our political parties.

As we begin each and every celebration of the Eucharist, we participate in the penitential rite acknowledging our sinfulness and entrust ourselves to the mercy and love of our forgiving God. Yes, we are a sinner’s Church.

There is weakness in all of us. This is why we belong to the Church. This is why we know that we stand always in need of the forgiving love of Jesus. We are sinners seeking to be saved. May we always rely on the power of the Holy Spirit within us. We don’t preach ourselves.  We preach the power of God’s love that is within us. In the power of God’s love for us, we have the means to set the world ablaze.

What is stunning to me in today’s Scriptures is that Jesus had little trouble with sinners but had his greatest troubles were with the religious leaders of his day, religious leaders who were hypocrites. To pick upon a contemporary expression, Jesus wasn’t concerned about fake news. He was concerned about fake religion.

In speaking to his followers, Jesus said: “The scribes and Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulder, but they will not lift a finger to move them.”

 

Of all the evils that Jesus confronted, one of the greatest was the evil of hypocrisy. The Pharisees and scribes exalted themselves and made their mastery of the law a badge of social privilege. Worse, they lorded the law over the people.

Today’s Gospel brings us into the core of Jesus’ moral teaching. What Jesus demands of the people of the covenant is humility, being who you say you are, making all your behavior an expression of your beliefs, no matter the cost.

The critique of Jesus to the scribes and Pharisees is that they did not walk their talk. The question for us:  Do we walk our talk? This is a question for all of us, not just for preachers. What is our talk?

Whereas the scribes and Pharisees were preoccupied with their desire to be honored and exalted, Christian leadership is a call to service following the example of Jesus who came not to be served but to serve, to give his life as a ransom for many.

Whereas the scribes and Pharisees were laying down heavy on the shoulders of others, Jesus invited us: “Come to me all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Yes, there was considerable tension between Jesus and the religious leaders of his day. What about today? What about ourselves? Do we exercise our leadership in imitation of the servant leadership of Jesus? Do we walk our talk?

As parents, as you teach your children to be patient, kind, forgiving, generous and loving, are we examples to our children of the message that we teach them?

In our sister parishes, we have 96 mostly second graders preparing for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, do we as a parish community witness to the value of this sacrament of God’s forgiveness by the example of our lives? Is the Sacrament of Reconciliation part of our spiritual life?

Do we participate in the annual diocesan Catholic Ministries Appeal as a way of serving the needs of the poorest among us in the diocese? Are we a Good Samaritan or an indifferent bystander?

Are we witnessing to the dignity and the sacredness of all life as we stand against abortion, poverty, prejudice, euthanasia, and the death penalty. Are we pro-life both before and after birth?

As sister parishes of St Joseph’s and Holy Spirit, do we generously support the faith life of both of our parish communities. Are we better together in the ways we help and serve each other?

In the October synod at the Vatican, Pope Francis invited delegates from all over the world to Rome to reflect on the mission of the Church. Pope Francis has warned of the dangers of being too clerical a Church, he challenges us to a listening and discerning Church who can read the signs of the times and be a Church that washes the feet of God’s poor.

And so on and so on,

Rather than keeping our love under a bushel basket, may we follow the example of St Paul who proclaims:  With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you not only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well.

The apostle Paul preached by the example of his life. So must we give our very selves in the ways we give witness to the love of God.

May we never try to be people who we are not. The critique of Jesus was that fake religion is intolerable. Fake Religion is when in our hypocrisy we pretend we got it all together. Fake religion is when we do not walk our talk in trusting in Jesus as the center and the North Star of our lives.

Yes, we acknowledge the brokenness and sinfulness in our lives personally and in our lives as a Church. Thanks be to God. Our God is a loving and forgiving God who embraces us with the fullness of mercy, forgiveness, and love.

Have a Blessed Day.